Ugly Utilities

Post date: Oct 10, 2014 10:36:01 AM

Today I wrestled with the ugly green utility boxes that stick up about three feet out of the ground at the street level between houses.

Utility Boxes

Utilities include a big box for a power transformer, the electric meters for two houses, a round tower for the phone company, another tower for a cable company, and another tower for optical fiber communications. In addition to these are a manhole cover for the water meter.I want to hide these. The only practical way I can think of is to surround them with a fence. The common fence around here is called a coyote fence. It is made of skinny vertical poles of pine or spruce, usually ‘unpeeled’ - with the bark on. This fence would need to be at least four feet tall to block most of the view.

The poles are called “latillas” (sometimes spelled ‘latias’) in Spanish, and are 2” to 3” in diameter. Commercially they come 8’ long, trimmed square on both ends. The smooth top makes the fence look quite artificial, even with the bark on the poles. However, older fences and those in poor neighborhoods leave the tops pointed and ragged.

Latilla Fence

Also, the fencing need not be solid. That is to say I could leave spaces between the latillas and the eye would be able to see the utilities but would be drawn to the fence. This would allow reading the meter without removing the fence panel.

While the utilities are clustered, they are by no means compact. In addition, the utility workers must be able to get to their equipment for reading meters and making repairs. Normally this would mean an extra three feet around the towers. Since one of my clusters measures five by nine feet, with the added room for access this would require fencing off 15 by 11, or 165 square feet of garden space.

And I would have to install a gate. Gates tend to give trouble over several decades, either when the posts work loose, the gate sags, the hinges rust, or the latch no longer catches. So I looked for a solution without a gate.

My solution is (at least at this point) as follows:

Put a 4-5’ high ‘coyote fence’ made of vertical unpeeled 2” diameter aspen or pine poles (latillas) spaced 4” (yes, a 2” gap), leaving the tops ragged. Put landscape fabric over the soil to reduce weeds and extend the fabric 6” outside the enclosure. Mount the latillas to the fence rails from inside with deck screws. Horizontal members (the rails) will be protected from rotting, either with chemicals (pressure treated) or flashing. The 4” corner posts must be set 3’ deep in cobbles well tamped. Fasten the fence sections to the posts with hooks so they can be lifted off for access. This would allow the fence to be closer to the utility boxes.

Here is a sequence for making the fence:

Clear soil around utilities
Set corner posts 3’ deep on and in cobbles, well packed. Round posts (poles) might be easier than square 4x4 posts. Cut the tops at an angle so water does not pond and rot the wood.
Cut rails to fit
Drill rails 4” on center for screws to latillas
Screw rails to latillas. Bottom flush, tops ragged.
Lay landscape fabric over soil around utilities and posts, leaving 6” outside fence line
Prop fence against posts, 2” above ground, to mark posts for fasteners
Drill posts for angle bolts and install bolts. Rails should slip onto bolts easily.
Hang fence on angle bolts, which are 4” lag bolts with 1/4” x 3” rod welded to head.

Cost: $130 per 8’ section for purchased panels, 5’ high, 2” diameter unpeeled poles, or $2.80 each pole plus posts and frame and installation. I think I can find latillas on Craigslist sold by the people who collect them from the forest, rather than by the lumber dealer. This would make them less expensive and also less uniform - more interesting.

Ah, but we are not done with utilities.

The sewer connections require a two-foot diameter manhole (for access to a back-check valve) with white, 4” diameter pipes sticking up vertically, one on the house side and one on the city side. While these are not at the street, they surround the common garden area. I could hide the pipes by painting them, but they would be a tripping hazard. I think the pipes can be cut down closer to ground level, but they still are a tripping hazard. Maybe I can find a shrub that will hide them.

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